The two candidates receiving the most votes will serve four-year terms on the council.

Diaz said Tuesday night that she was pleased voters appear to have given her another term in office.

But she also expressed frustration that Morasco was ahead of her, and that her ally, Greene, appeared headed for defeat.

"I don't think Mike's worked hard enough to deserve the honor of getting the most votes," Diaz said at a Democrat Party event in Escondido.

Morasco said Tuesday night that his strong showing was a vindication.

"I take it as a vote of confidence, not just for the work I've done, but for the goals I've set for the next term," Morasco said during an election party at Mayor Sam Abed's house.

Those goals include strengthening the city's infrastructure and bolstering public safety.

Morasco said he wasn't surprised Diaz was also re-elected, despite being a liberal in a city dominated by Republicans.

"Olga is articulate, dynamic, presents herself well and is very visible in the community," he said. "Those are very positive things no matter what side of the aisle you're on."

Diaz and Morasco have more political experience than their opponents, and they also raised and spent significantly more money than them.

After several years as a local activist on immigration issues and fees paid by downtown merchants, Diaz was elected to the council in 2008 ---- the first Latino woman elected since Escondido was founded in 1888.

Diaz, 36, racked up a long list of accomplishments during her first term in office, including significant progress on a plan to transform the city's flood-control channel into a creek walk and a proposal to make Escondido a wine production hub.

Morasco served as a school trustee in Escondido from 1990 to 2000, and was appointed to fill the final two years of Abed’s council term when Abed was elected mayor in 2010.

Morasco and Diaz each raised more than $30,000, and both spent much of their money on mail pieces their opponents, who all raised less than $8,000, couldn’t afford to send to voters.

Morasco, 56, is a strong ally of Abed and council members Marie Waldron and Ed Gallo. The foursome has formed a strong conservative majority that has eliminated a wide variety of fees and regulations on businesses.

When the council is divided on issues, Diaz is most often on the short end of 4-1 votes.

Diaz said Tuesday night that Morasco's victory and Greene's defeat mean she can expect more of the same.

"I will have to continue to be the only one providing oversight for the residents," she said.

Diaz calls herself an advocate for ordinary Escondido residents, and is active with several environmental groups.

Diaz, who works for Interfaith Community Services, owned and operated a downtown coffee house from 2002 to 2010.

Morasco, a 1974 graduate of Orange Glen High School, runs a physical therapy business in East Valley.

Greene has attacked Morasco for not being a strong enough advocate for public safety. And he's attacked the council majority for what he calls "shortsighted" budgeting.

On Tuesday night, Greene said the early results hadn't shaken his confidence. He said absentee voters are typically more conservative than poll voters, and he said that was why Morasco did so well in the early returns.